From SEMA eNews/SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will accept exclusion requests for the List 3 China Tariffs List for products imported from China, beginning June 30 and ending Sept. 30, 2019. Any exclusions granted will be retroactive to Sept. 24, 2018, when the duties were first put in place. The exclusion will last for a period of one year after it has been granted.

The List 3 group of Chinese imports covers nearly $200 billion worth of products, including many auto parts, from engines and metal fasteners to tires, transmission belts, brake pads and suspension springs. The deadline for submitting exclusion requests for about $50 billion worth of Chinese products covered under Lists 1 and 2 has already closed. The USTR is still reviewing Lists 1 and 2 requests, which include some miscellaneous metal, rubber and plastic parts for auto equipment.

Companies seeking requests will be asked to demonstrate that the product is available only from China, that the tariff will cause severe economic harm and that the good is strategically important. If a request is granted, it will apply to all imported products within the tariff subheading, not just the company making the request.